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Warm and cozy instant pot chicken wild rice soup takes under an hour to make! It’s cream, snug, and studded with celery, onions, mushrooms, and carrots. The perfect meal for chilly winter nights!
Snug as a bug!
Instant pot chicken wild rice soup has been the most memorable recipe I’ve made this fall. It’s warm and cozy and features ingredients like, garlic, onions, dried herbs, and studded with carrots, mushrooms, and celery. Every bite starts with tender chicken, nutty and chewy wild rice and smooths out with that luscious, rich and creamy flavor.
And though chicken wild rice soup was not something I’d had until I was much older, it always reminds me of those simpler times.
It’s also easily customizable. If you don’t like mushrooms, just omit it from the recipe and if you don’t eat chicken, just double the mushrooms, so you get a little bit in every bite.
The hardest part about this whole instant pot chicken wild rice soup is waiting for 45 minutes. But here’s the thing – it’s simple, humble, feel-good food. It’s also perfect for those of us that want a warm bowl of soup for lunch every day of the week as this recipe makes enough for 6-8 servings.
Quick to throw together, straightforward, easily adaptable to your preference. Instant pot chicken wild rice soup is perfect to meal prep on Sundays and enjoy all week long!
In fact, I think it’s going on the menu again for next week!
Ingredients for instant pot chicken wild rice soup recipe:
- Mirepoix: A mirepoix is a fancy word for a medley of onions, carrots, and celery. I like to use equal parts of all three and chop them up so that you get a little bit in each bite.
- Mushrooms: I use baby Bella mushrooms for this recipe and slice them up.
- Uncooked wild rice: Keep in mind that wild rice is different from a wild rice blend. A wild rice blend typically contains, brown rice, white rice, and black pearl or wild rice. For this recipe, it’s best to use wild rice only!
- Chicken: I typically use thaw chicken breasts for this recipe. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the same amount. Keep in mind that you will need to adjust the cooking time slightly if the chicken thighs are significantly smaller.
- Chicken broth: you can also use water and bouillon if you like, that’s typically what I do if I don’t have prepared chicken broth in the freezer.
- Garlic: Lots and lots of minced garlic goes into this recipe!
- Seasonings: you’ll need dried thyme, Mrs. Dash seasoning, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Butter: the base of the roux that we’ll make to thicken the chicken soup. Swap the butter with plant-based butter to make this dairy-free.
- Flour: we’ll use this to make the roux.
- Milk: You can also use half and half to make the recipe a bit more luxurious. Half and half is a product sold in the US that is made with 1:1 ratio of whole milk and heavy cream. You could also use coconut milk (the canned variety) here if you’d like to make the soup dairy-free.
How to make chicken wild rice soup in a pressure cooker:
- Easy, peasy – toss it all in! Start by adding everything but the ingredients for the roux into the instant pot and cook it over high pressure until the chicken is cooked through. Do a quick pressure release by turning the valve and allowing to vent.
- Shred it up. Remove the lid. Then using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken back into the instant pot.
- Make the roux. In a saucepan on the stove top, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir until melted. Then add the flour and garlic powder cook for a few minutes until it starts to turn lightly golden. Continue to whisk as you stream in the milk. Once the milk has been added and the liquid thickens, add a small sprinkle of salt.
- Make chicken wild rice soup. Stir the prepared liquid into the soup. Let the soup sit for a few minutes, this will allow it to thicken slightly. Then taste the soup and adjust with seasonings as desired. Fish out the bay leaves then serve this up with homemade no knead bread.
Tips for the best chicken soup:
with 35 minutes of cooking time, you’ll need to use real wild rice for this one. I don’t suggest a wild rice blend, or brown rice, or white rice. It’s wild rice. It can be difficult to find in stores so if you’ve got a Trader Joe’s nearby, you can pick it up there. Keep in mind you’ll want to rinse the wild rice as the outer coating can sometimes make the soup a bit purple if you don’t rinse it!
like the slow cooker version of my chicken wild rice soup, this one also calls for a seasoning blend. I use the 21 seasoning salute from TJ’s, but Mrs. Dash also makes one that you can find in almost all grocery stores. Just be sure to use the salt-free kind.
the roux for this instant pot chicken wild rice soup is cooked separately from the soup so you’ll need a small saucepan. Depending on my mood, I might even add half teaspoon of garlic powder to amp up the flavor a little more.
This is a great recipe to serve with homemade no knead bread. You could also make my all-time favorite no knead focaccia. Or serve with roasted garlic rosemary focaccia.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
- Cuban Black Bean Soup
- Luxurious Turkish Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)
- Roasted Garlic White Chicken Lasagna Soup
Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
Soup:
- 3 cups mirepoix equal parts, chopped onion, carrots, and celery
- 8 ounces mushrooms diced (see notes)
- 1 cup wild rice rinsed (see notes)
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 6-8 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1-3 tablespoons Mrs. Dash’s seasoning see notes
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Roux:
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder optional
- 2 cups milk or half and half
Instructions
- INSTANT POT:Add all the ingredients listed under the soup section into the instant pot, cover, and cook on manual (high pressure) for 35 minutes. During the last 5 minutes prepare the roux. Quick-release the steam by turning the valve. Remove the chicken, shred it using two forks, and add it back into the instant pot.
- ROUX: In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Let the flour mixture cook for 2 minutes before adding the garlic powder (if using). Continue whisking as you slowly start streaming in the milk (or half and half). Once the sauce thickens (about 2-3 minutes), add a sprinkling of salt.
- CHICKEN WILD RICE SOUP: Stir the prepared roux into the instant pot and let sit for 5-7 minutes before serving. This allows the soup to thicken just a tad bit. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Serve with tons of crusty bread!
Notes
- Purchase prechopped veggies or pop each individual veggie into a food processor and give it a few pulses to make this faster.
- I used Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute for this recipe (that’s their version of the Mrs. Dash salt-free Original seasoning blend.)
- The soup will thicken significantly as it sits. Leftovers should be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated. Additional milk, cream, broth, or water can be used to adjust the consistency of the soup when reheating.
- I suggest using real wild rice for this recipe. A wild rice blend, white rice, or brown rice won’t produce the same results. Unfortunately, they do soften quite a bit in the time needed to prepare this recipe.
- Leftovers can be frozen, just allow them to defrost in the refrigerator overnight. You may need additional water or broth to help bring it back to its normal consistency.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Overall it was nice, but it came out VERY spicy. Definitely not something children can eat. I wonder if 3 tb spoon of Mrs. Dash is a little too much?
I made this for the first time yesterday, and it was so delicious! All I had was a wild rice blend, so I cooked that separately on the stove. Then I added it at the end of cooking the rest of the soup. Also, I only used 2 tbsp of seasoning blend.. I also used bone broth. Thank you for the recipe!
Absolutely THE. BEST. wild rice soup I’ve ever had!
I only had a wild rice mix and none of the Mrs. Dash/Trader Joe’s seasoning mix.
We had snow and 60 mph winds so I had to wing it.
I wanted a meatless soup so I left the chicken out. I decided to add 1 envelope of dry Lipton Vegetable Soup mix as the seasoning.
It was perfect.
I have always loved the flavor of the Bear Creek Wild Rice soup mix.
This recipe topped that 100%.
I usually stick right with the recipe but, it wasn’t possible this time.
I will always make this soup because it’s phenomenal.
I will be ordering wild rice and the Trader Joe’s seasoning online as soon as possible.
We love this recipe!! It’s definitely made on repeat during these colder months. Made 2 different Instant Pots full of this stuff last year to serve to family over Christmas break and everyone asked for the recipe. Makes great leftovers too!
Excellent!! Will make again. Easy and great tasting! Perfect for the 1st evening of day light savings time.
I LOVE this recipe. I make it quite often and it’s always amazing. This is one of my to go winter/fall soup recipes 🙂
So glad to hear that, Ellaina! It’s a favorite around here as well 🙂
Absolutely delicious!!
I doubled ( 8 quart) and used no mushrooms, Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute( didn’t have Mrs dash) , 2 cups less liquid , and half and half.
Way better than Panera bread !!!!!
Hi Sandra! That TJ’s seasoning is my fave! I use that in place of Mrs. Dash as well – works out great. Appreciate you circling back to leave a review!
Outstanding flavor and texture! Love the mushrooms in this soup. Made the recipe as written and used the half and half. Delish!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the soup, Eva! Appreciate you circling back to leave a review 🙂
Thank you so much Marzia! This soup was delicious! I’ll definitely make it again. Every recipe I tried from your website was perfect. Thanks again!
So glad to hear that, Anya! Appreciate you taking the time to circle back to leave a review!
I’ve looked for a long time for a good chicken wild rice recipe and this is an excellent one. My husband is hard to please and he gave it a thumbs up. He really liked it.
Hi Mary! I’m so happy to hear that both you and hubby enjoyed the soup! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave a comment 🙂
Absolutely delicious! The roux adds so much more flavor… butter does the trick! Such a comfort soup/meal.
Hands down the BEST chicken wild rice soup we have ever eaten. Full of flavor. Easy to make. Followed the directions just as you outlined them. I think it would be also interesting to add a bit of sherry, but we didn’t do it. We wanted to try it just as you said. Used the Trader Joe’s spices. Will make it again next week. Have one little helping in the freezer, but need more!
Never made a comment on any recipe before, but this was Fantastic ! I say even Essential. Thank You Marzia!!!
This is a new family favorite! My go-to recipe especially on cold, rainy days! I follow the directions as is, with just these two small exceptions: (1) I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour in the place of AP flour and (2) Bragg’s 24 Herbs and Spices Seasoning in place of Mrs. Dash’s seasoning. Always delicious and always a hit! Thank you!!
So glad to hear it! Thank you for letting me know that GF flour works for this recipe, I’m sure others will appreciate that as well 🙂
What size portions was your nutritional information based on? Looking forward to trying this but want to make sure I add the right info to my nutrition app. Thanks!
Do you think soy milk would act as a good substitute for half and half? Need to avoid dairy.
Thanks,
Lizzy
I’m not too sure about soy milk. I think canned coconut milk would make a decent substitute, but I’m not at all certain if the coconut flavor comes through very strongly as I haven’t tested it before. Would love to know how it goes if you decide to try it ?
I used Oat milk.
I have made this recipe several times using almond milk or almond/ cashew milk. Tastes great!
I have also used coconut milk (the full fat version from a can) That worked well too, but could taste the coconut a bit. I didn’t bother me, but my teenage kids said they preferred it w/o the coconut milk.
Delicious new winter favorite! I followed the recipe for the most part, but used a wild rice blend–that’s what I had in the pantry, and boneless chicken thighs. I cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and sauted them in the pot with the mirepoix and garlic briefly (although, I think this step could be skipped). After adding remaining soup ingredients, I reduced pressure-cooking time to 15 minutes and followed the recipe as written. So good!
Best chicken wild rice soup recipe ever! I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical as to how it would turn out, but it was absolutely delicious. Not mushy whatsoever and the wild rice had the perfect bite. I threw in frozen chicken breasts (broke them apart first) and timed it for 35 minutes which was perfect. I also used Trader Joe’s 21 Salute seasoning. Super easy weeknight meal and FULL of flavor!
I had gone through probably 4 or 5 chicken and wild rice recipes before trying this—this one is by far the best. I did sauté the veggies in the pot for a couple of minutes and substituted left over turkey for chicken but otherwise no major changes. This is flavorful, creamy (but not too creamy), and all around delicious.
Love love this IP recipe. Thank you so much! I’ve done used the original Mrs. Dash & the garlic herb one. Both delicious. I’ll have to agree with you it’s better with the half & half.